During the Trump years, America's standing in the world was reduced to what it could obtain through raw power and intimidation. That might have been enough for Great Britain in the 19th Century, but in the age of nuclear weapons, cyberwarfare, terrorism, and a globalized economy it's not enough to achieve the nation's international goals. You also need what IR expert Joseph Nye called "soft power." US President Joe Biden understands that you need both to reach your global obj

US President Joe Biden has warned Vladimir Putin that America and the world will hold him responsible for the life of Russian dissident and anti-corruption campaigner Alexie Navalny, according to White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan. CNN: "We have communicated to the Russian government that what happens to Mr. Navalny in their custody is their responsibility and they will be held accountable by the international community." Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was ev

Russian police arrested more than 3,400 people yesterday as tens of thousands in Moscow and across Russia took to the streets demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent foe. Navalny was arrested upon his return from Germany where he had been undergoing treatment after being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. Few doubt that Putin ordered the attack and it follows a series of earlier political assassinations. Mo

The United Nations and much of the world is expressing outrage and demanding an investigation following confirmation by German officials that a deadly nerve agent, Novichok, was used in the poisoning of Aleksei Navalny, a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin and his government. Novichok is banned internationally under the Chemical Weapons Convention and is the same chemical used to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK in 2018. Novichok was de

While there is still no smoking gun evidence that the Trump campaign promised Vladimir Putin anything in return, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Russian interference in the 2016 election offers a stack of damning evidence that the Trump campaign eagerly sought and received Russia's assistance during the campaign. The report from the Republican controlled Senate Committee was the result of more than 200 interviews with key witnesses and almost one millio

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Russia paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to encourage attacks on American and British forces in Afghanistan. Apparently, US intelligence officials discovered the plan in March, but it's not clear when President Trump was briefed on the plot and why there has been no US response. New York Times: "American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linke